The capital, being under the direct jurisdiction of the emperor, is heavily guarded.
Since exiting the highway, checkpoints could be seen at regular intervals.
The jeep, bearing military plates and equipped with a pass from the Underworld Palace, passed through without hindrance.
At ten o’clock in the evening.
The jeep arrived at Xuanwu Gate.
It was Ye Qiu’s first time in the capital, and he couldn’t help but be curious. Looking ahead, Xuanwu Gate stood over thirty meters tall, imposing and solemn.
Tang Fei, having spent many years in the capital, was well-versed in its architecture and history. He explained to Ye Qiu, “Xuanwu Gate was one of the nine gates of the inner city during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and was initially called Shuncheng Gate. In the fourth year of the Zhengtong era, it was renamed Xuanwu Gate.”
“In the past, Xuanwu Gate was where prisoner carts passed through because the execution ground was set up at Caishikou outside Xuanwu Gate. After being reviewed and confirmed by the Ministry of Justice, prisoners would exit through Xuanwu Gate to be executed at Caishikou.”
“Do you see the three characters carved on the top of the gate’s arch?”
Ye Qiu looked up and indeed saw three characters.
“Hou Hui Chi!” (Regret is too late!)
“What do those three characters mean?” Ye Qiu asked.
Tang Fei smiled, “As I just mentioned, prisoners would exit here to be executed at Caishikou. Think about it, if you’re about to be executed, it’s too late for regrets.”
Ye Qiu realized the logic behind it.
As they spoke, Tang Fei slowed down the car and pointed to some shops or pharmacies on both sides of the street not far away, saying, “This is Caishikou. Countless innocent souls died here in ancient times.”
“Among the most famous were Wen Tianxiang and Tan Sitong.”
“At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the renowned prime minister Wen Tianxiang refused to submit to the Yuan Dynasty. After being imprisoned for four years, he was finally executed at Caishikou.”
“On the execution ground, Wen Tianxiang said to the execution supervisor, ‘What I could do for the Song Dynasty, I have now done,’ and then he met his end with dignity.”
“During the Guangxu era, Tan Sitong, one of the Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days’ Reform, also shouted here, ‘With the heart to kill the enemy, but without the strength to turn the tide, dying here is a worthy death, how exhilarating!’ adding a solemn aura to this place…”
“Wait a minute!” Ye Qiu suddenly interrupted Tang Fei.
Tang Fei stepped on the brake and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Are enemies coming?” Long Ye, gripping his gun nervously, asked.
“Look, who’s that?” Ye Qiu pointed to the roadside.
Tang Fei and Long Ye turned their heads and saw an old Taoist priest in a Taoist robe, holding a horsetail whisk and wearing large sunglasses, holding a young girl’s hand and saying something.
The girl, in her early twenties, dressed simply, clearly inexperienced in the ways of the world.
Tang Fei’s eyes widened, “Chang Mei the Taoist?”
“Old Tang, didn’t you say Chang Mei the Taoist was still in seclusion? Why is he here?” Long Ye was full of surprise.
“This old fellow, finally reliable for once,” Ye Qiu laughed. He knew that Chang Mei the Taoist must be here to help him.
“Let’s go, get out and take a look.”
Tang Fei parked the car, and the three of them walked towards the gate.
As they approached, they saw Chang Mei the Taoist saying to the girl, “Benefactor, after a meticulous observation of your facial and palm features, I have deduced your fate. What would you like to know?”
The girl, somewhat shy, said, “Master, could you tell me when I will find a boyfriend?”
Chang Mei the Taoist, pretending to be a lofty figure, flicked his sleeve, exuding an air of immortality, and said sternly, “In the first half of your life, you are destined to have no man.”
The girl panicked, “What about the second half?”
“In the second half, you’ll get used to it.”
The girl’s face turned pale.
She was a senior college student who initially didn’t believe in fortune-telling. But as graduation approached and she still hadn’t found a boyfriend, her roommate suggested she consult a master.
That’s why she came out to seek a fortune-teller.
She had visited several places, finding most fortune-tellers to be faking blindness to deceive people. Only this master before her, dressed in Taoist robes, holding a horsetail whisk, and moving with an air of immortality, seemed like a true transcendent being.
A lifetime without a man?
Hearing this, the girl was on the verge of tears.
Chang Mei the Taoist sighed deeply, “Benefactor, your fate is what we call ‘Celestial Lone Star.’ Not only will your life be filled with misfortune, but you will also never find a man and will grow old alone.”
Unable to hold back, the girl’s tears fell as she urgently asked, “Master, is there any way to break this ‘Celestial Lone Star’ fate?”
“As a transcendent being, of course, I have a way.”
“What is it?”
Chang Mei the Taoist pointed at the girl and said, “You bear me a son, and the ‘Celestial Lone Star’ fate will be broken.”
Old pervert!
The girl finally realized that this seemingly transcendent being was not only a fraud but also a shameless scoundrel. Furious, she turned and walked away.
Chang Mei the Taoist stood up and shouted, “Hey, benefactor, how can you leave without paying after having your fortune told? Even if you have no money, you can pay with your body…”
Thud!
Ye Qiu threw a stone, hitting Chang Mei the Taoist on the head.
“Who? Who hit me? I’ll destroy you,” Chang Mei the Taoist turned around, and upon seeing Ye Qiu, said with a look of frustration, “Across thousands of rivers and mountains, always a bond, can’t you not hit me?”
Damn, this old guy is starting to compose poetry again.
Ye Qiu couldn’t stand Chang Mei the Taoist’s poetry and asked, “Why are you here?”
“Why am I here? Don’t you know?” Chang Mei the Taoist said irritably, “For you, I traveled thousands of miles from Longhu Mountain to the capital. Upon meeting, you don’t even say a word of thanks and instead throw stones at me. Do you have any conscience?”
Ye Qiu laughed, “Even if I lack conscience, I wouldn’t deceive young girls. Unlike some people, who, as a man of the cloth, don’t follow the rules and are obsessed with sleeping with women.”
“But wanting to sleep with women is normal, after all, you’re a man. But to fabricate some ‘Celestial Lone Star’ fate, what’s that about? Trying to get it for free?”
“If you want it for free, just say so. Why beat around the bush?”
“Aren’t you ashamed? I’m embarrassed for you.”
Chang Mei the Taoist jumped up in anger, pointing at Ye Qiu and cursing, “Ye, what do you mean by this?”
“Insulting me like this, do you believe I can kill you?”
“I tell you, I’ve mastered the Five Thunder True Method. One move, and I can annihilate you.”
Ye Qiu looked at Chang Mei the Taoist, his lips curling in disdain, “Kill me? You? Hah…”
“What are you laughing at? If you don’t believe me, let’s settle this,” Chang Mei the Taoist rolled up his sleeves, ready for a fight.
Tang Fei felt a headache coming on and said, “Elder, Ye Qiu, stop arguing.”
“Hmph, unless this brat apologizes to me today, I’ll kill him…”
Before Chang Mei the Taoist could finish his sentence, he suddenly turned his head towards the gate.
Almost simultaneously, Ye Qiu’s gaze also turned in the same direction, as if facing a formidable enemy.
